Georgia Promise Scholarship Renewal: Annual Requirements and Grandfathering Rules

The May 31 Deadline That Controls Everything

Annual recertification is due by May 31 — and it's a hard deadline. Miss it and your child loses returning-student status, forfeits first-priority renewal, and must reapply as a new applicant during a future application window.

Recertification requires three steps completed through the Odyssey portal by May 31:

1. Administer the annual assessment. Your child must complete a nationally norm-referenced test or statewide assessment in mathematics and English language arts. GESA's approved test list includes the ACT, Pre-ACT, Classic Learning Test (CLT 3-8, CLT 10, CLT), i-Ready Diagnostic, TerraNova 3, TerraNova NEXT, and the CTP from Educational Records Bureau.

2. Upload test scores and residency verification. Submit the assessment results and confirm your continued Georgia residency through the portal.

3. Declare enrollment for the coming year. Confirm whether your child will attend a participating private school or continue in a home study program for the next academic year.

All three steps must be complete by May 31. Partial completion doesn't count.

Grandfathering: When Your Zone Improves

GOSA recalculates the bottom-25% school list every year using updated CCRPI scores. If your zoned school improves and drops off the list, your child's scholarship is protected.

Under O.C.G.A. § 20-2B-22(d), a student already in the program remains eligible in every subsequent academic year through high school graduation without re-meeting the initial attendance zone or prior-enrollment criteria. As long as the student:

• Completes annual recertification by May 31
• Remains a Georgia resident
• Does not re-enroll in a public school
• Does not exceed the age cap (20, or 21 for students with IEPs)

This grandfathering protection is one of the program's strongest features. Once your child is in, zone changes don't push them out.

What Triggers Removal

Five events close a student's Promise Scholarship account and revert remaining funds to the state:

• High school graduation
• Reaching age 20 (or 21 for students receiving special education services)
• Re-enrolling in a Georgia public school or public charter school
• Moving out of Georgia
• Failing to complete recertification by May 31

Re-enrollment in public school is the one that surprises families. If your child returns to public school — even temporarily — the scholarship account closes. There's no pause-and-resume option.

Unused Funds Roll Over

Quarterly installments that aren't fully spent don't expire at the end of the quarter. Unused balances roll over from quarter to quarter and year to year as long as the student remains actively enrolled in the program. The rollover extends through K-12 education.

However, the legislature removed the provision that would have allowed post-secondary rollover during the drafting of SB 233. When the student graduates or otherwise exits the program, any remaining balance goes back to the state general fund.

Plan Your Renewal Calendar Early

The May 31 deadline is less forgiving than it looks. Standardized testing takes time to schedule, administer, and receive results for. If you're using a paper-based test that requires mailing for scoring, start the process in March to leave room for delays.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship Parent Guide includes an annual compliance calendar mapping every deadline — from testing windows to DOI filing to GESA recertification — so nothing gets missed.

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